Folklore Festival Promises Springtime Fun

URBANNA — Eat a light breakfast and be ready for a mellow small-town day when you come to the second Urbanna Folklore Festival.

The town hopes to entice visitors with a relaxed atmosphere and "food by the ton," according to Town Administrator Carl Classen.

FOR THE RECORD - Published correction ran Thursday, May 4, 1989.The caption under the front page photograph on the Middle Peninsula Neighbors section Wednesday incorrectly identified Ann Alderks, co-owner of the Craft Nook in Urbanna as Sherry S. Leasure, chairman of the Folklore Festival. Alderks is organizing the festival's amateur art program.

"This is a time to visit a 300-year-old town, taste some of the local fare, see some of the local crafts and enjoy a spring day in Urbanna," he says.

The festival, which be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, will be concentrated on Virginia and Cross streets, the historic district of the town. This year's event features a range of food, crafts and antiques for sale, an amateur art program and performances by musicians and dancers. The event drew around 5,000 people last year.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the performance of the United Rappahannock Tribal Dancers, a group of about 20 representatives of the American Indian tribes of the Rappahannock River, Classen says. Last year, in addition to performing traditional dances and exhibiting crafts, the group invited spectators to join them in a circle dance.

Little Budda, a four-member group that plays country, soft rock and folk music, will play throughout the day at the festival. They are veterans of last year's event.

The Colonial Dancers, a children's group from Seaford Elementary School in York County, will also perform.

The amateur art program will be on display throughout the festival. It will feature paintings, drawings and crafts by local children.

The food concessions are also likely to be popular. Soft shell crabs and Brunswick stew are local specialties in the spring; there will also be more traditional festival fare such as barbecue and hamburgers.

In addition, the Miss Ann, a 70-foot cruise ship, will make several trips between the Tides Inn in Irvington and Urbanna during the day.

The festival was initiated two years ago when Rappahannock Community College decided to stop holding the Dragon Run Folklife Festival because it was losing money. Last year's event broke even.

Urbanna's festival is sponsored by the Urbanna Chamber of Commerce. The chairman is Sherry S. Leasure.

There will also be a dance Friday at The Beacon in Topping, featuring a big band playing hits of the '40s and '50s. Tickets are $15 per person and are available at Marshall's Drug, First Virginia Bank and the Chamber of Commerce in Urbanna and the Deltaville Pharmacy. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. and is included in the price of the ticket. Dancing begins at 8.